Wrapping robot with enhanced safety and reliability

Abstract

The present invention provides a wrapping robot with enhanced safety and reliability, the wrapping robot being able to prevent a safety accident that occurs when a worker or another object hits against a handle protruding outward from a robot body while the robot revolving around a product to perform wrapping by biasing the handle toward the product to be wrapped; and being able to improve reliability of wrapping by stopping operation of the wrapping robot when a wrap is loosened or cut during wrapping, using a sensor that senses loosening or cutting of a wrap.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONField of the Invention[0001]The present invention relates to a wrapping robot and, more particularly, to a wrapping robot with enhanced safety and reliability, the wrapping robot improving work safety by changing the position of a handle and inclining a mast equipped with a wrap, and improving reliability of wrapping by mounting a sensor that senses whether a wrap is loosened or is cut during wrapping.Description of the Related Art[0002]When products (referring to an object to be wrapped, the same hereafter) are sold, transported, or stored, the outside of the products are wrapped with thin vinyl for wrapping (referred to as a ‘wrap’ herein) to avoid damage while the products are transported or stored. In order to wrap a product, as the front end of a wrap wound in a cylindrical roll shape on a spool is pulled, the spool with the wrap wound thereon is rotated and the wrap is unwound, thereby wrapping the product.[0003]As for the technology proposed about a...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a wrapping robot with enhanced safety and reliability. The robot has a handle for easy movement and a guide wheel for smooth movement around a product. It also has a mast with a spool for supplying a wrap, and a sensor to detect tension of the wrap. Additionally, the robot has a biasing handle to prevent accidents and a sensor to detect if the wrap is loose or cut. These features improve work safety and reliability of the wrapping robot.

Problems solved by technology

Accordingly, since a product has to be seated inside the frame of wrapping machines, the size of products that can be wrapped is limited, so large products such as a product on a pallet or a pallet on which several boxes are stacked cannot be wrapped.

Further, tension does not uniformly act in the entire wrap depending on the sizes and shapes of products, so wrapping may not be uniform.

Further, since it is required to move and seat a product inside a frame to wrap the product, additional preparation work is required before wrapping.

Further, since wraps are very thin, the wraps are loosened or cut during wrapping in many cases at sites.

Wrapping machines keep operating until a worker recognizes the situation and takes measures even when a wrap is loosened or cut during wrapping, so there is a problem that products are not wrapped well due to loosening of the wrap or are never wrapped at all due to cutting of the wrap.

According to most apparatuses for wrapping disclosed up to now, since a wrapping machine is fixed at a specific place and wrapping is performed after a product is carried to the wrapping machine, there is a problem that it is impossible to wrap a product at a certain place unless the product is carried to the place where the wrapping machine is.

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